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keetan

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  1. Exactly. Keep in mind if the server(s) incoming/outging require secure authentication, then it most likely wont be possible. One tip I can also share is that when you use the setup wizard for setting up a new account in Outlook or OE, inputting the ip #'s wont work. It's something with the wizard. You'll have to edit the account later.
  2. Precisely right. Not everyone can remember numbers and the octets, so they've made names for web sites and servers to translate those for the masses...(DNS). But before being "gung ho" about specifying DNS servers, be aware of the following below: Choosing and specifying 2 servers via your tcp/ip properties, they can make or break your surfing speed and how the pages pull up. Here are some factors of why to choose to make specific ones (3rd party) vs. auto obtain (your ISP): 1. When you "auto obtain DNS", you are using your ISP to balance the load and giving you an optimal connection. This is somewhat best, and not having to worry about sites pulling up, because it will choose the ones for you that aren't overwhelmed at their HQ. As a tech support rep for an ISP, I can certainly say on a day to day basis, some go down and therefore is pulled out of the "pool" for customers not to use. It's defintely a crap shoot. 2. Your ISP, depending where you live, will use ~5-15 DNS servers @ their CMTS to balance the load of all their traffic and translate sites into IP addresses and versa. 3. If you specifically choose 2 of them to specifically use, you're limiting your computers direction path to resolve names and that be a good thing for that the DNS server(s) (ISP HQ) may be a stone's throw from your house, which distance DOES matter. And, it may be a split second faster than say using another DNS server thousands of miles away, even if it's not under a lot of traffic. So optimally, you want to specifically use servers that are closest to you, have the least amount of downtime, and ultimately, have the least amount of traffic (i.e. don't bragg or tell anyone about them! It's like finding a gold mine!) -- When people call and web sites aren't pulling up, and their signal is good, I usually test or trace route the website through the command prompt to determine if it's a problem or not. I use ip's for my pop3 and smtp servers for Outlook instead of the names because they are ALWAYS in peak traffic. It bypasses the servers... I hope you can follow me on that. =)
  3. I'd recommend trying to see if the BIOS config will allow it to be on all the time... or set parameters for it to turn on when the temp rises. If it doesn't have the config option for fan control/speed, look online for a new bios version. Worst case senario, you can always buy a laptop bezel for the bottom (having fans already installed in it) to attach to it.
  4. You don't have permissions in your callcenter nor to your workstation. You'll have to ask your local helpdesk to reset your profile to clear out your browser settings. They may use Sunbelt software to remotely connect to do that....
  5. In addition, to this topic, look for a related reply on the rx/tx levels and DNS server issues that will relate to slow downloading/pulling web pages.....Also to add to the tip above, I was recently having speed issues with a great connection, same modem and all until I realized I fixed it by adding one extra thing to my miniMac..... Memory. It had 512 to begin with. Vista is an image hog & wants memory for its GUI. Same with OS X. I capped it out at 2GB of DDR2. Pulling out all the stops now, it's like it should be.
  6. These tips are from my own personal experience & knowledge. They are seperated with asteriks. Most tips are aside from the PC related tweaks. Should you need those, please read the stickies on this thread regarding Cablenut, DrTCP and otherwise. * Cable modems must operate on a frequency. Primarily 2 different ones. Rx & Tx. Receive and Transmit. There is a third factor involved too which is SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio). Depending per ISP specs of their network, The Receive frequency is considered "in range" between -8db and 5db. 0 being optimal. Transmit (Tx) frequencies range well between ~38db - ~47db. Think of these frequencies as like an analog radio with the tuning dial...too far to the left/right and the signal will be fuzzy. So speeds can definitely fluctuate on those factors. Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) is calculated via algorithm formula (and I'm not getting into that). That being the third can depend on Rx vs. Tx or vice versa depending if one has bad levels and the other doesn't, OR just plain bad wiring to begin with. This leads you to wonder the following: 1. How old is the coax wiring in my house/apartment/condo/building? 2. How far away am I from the pedestal on my street? 3. How do I get it all upgraded if I need to do so? 1. If you live in a house, great! That means you have a mortgage and are investing in it. The American Dream! Typically, your coax is as old as when your house was built. They have new(er) coax wiring that the cable companies use with compression fittings instead of crimped to keep the air and moisture out, as well as nitrogen filled/shielded etc ...The type is RG6. It's a small upgrade to your house that ensures a great connection all the way. Your ISP may have a wiring plan you can enroll in rework the outlet the modem is on for better signal. If you live in an Multi Dwelling Unit (MDU) or (Apartment complex and or Condo) you may be out of luck. There's only so many things that can be done in a MDU for rewiring. They can't tear down the walls in a 3rd story building and rewire it...its too much time for them to do, it costs $$ to rebuild and or your property manager or worse HOA won't allow it and don't care and you're upgrading an abode you are not purchasing indefinitely. 2. Pedestals - (they look like mushrooms on the street) Beige, or green colored...every 4-6 doors down on a residential street. Inside them is a post which holds a device called a tap. On the tap, there can be anywhere up to 8 f-barrels on it (the kind you screw the coax into). It's how you get the source of service to your house. Those lines lead underground in conduit and lead to the side of the house called the demarcation point, (or dmarc). There, its led into a) Your NIU (if your cable provider gives you phone service) and then a main splitter, or the main splitter for all your tv/cable outlets in your house. Main point, taps off the ped can go bad. Not often, but they do sometimes. So the odds of getting it changed out are either having a lot of trouble calls or concurring with your neighbors if they have your same problem. Node's feed to the pedestals. - This is easier for your provider to track reports because when cards go bad in the nodes, outages happen, people call in, & a tech is dispatched. Sometimes it could just be a bad amp to the ped. They feed your house like this.... CMTS (Headquarters)-(fiber optic)--> Headend----(fiber optic)-->Node->>--(coax)--->Pedestal--(coax)->>-(home) So maybe an amp is going bad on the coax side, or has failed a few times...it happens. 3. Upgrading the exsisting wiring in your home could be easy. Call your cable operator to find out. To recap - the levels on your cable modem (cm) are tempermental to the wiring that is feeding it, so if your local tech support has the stats of your place and knows what they are talking about, have them help you out. Just like with the medical field, ALWAYS GET A SECOND OR THIRD OPINION!!! * Now onto cable modems. I've had 3 different models of cable modems. The earliest and first dating back to the LanCity cable modem. This wasn't spec anymore because CableLabs have invented the language platform for cable operators to agree or communicate with what is called D.O.C.S.I.S. The second generation modem I'll begin my story is with the Motorola Surfboard 3100. It used to be a telco return.. .meaning it was dialup to upload, cable to download. They soon swapped that out with the newer SB4200. This model was very robust and would work very well without any problem. I've used it for about 4 years, and then when my ISP had given faster speeds available, I noticed my upload was awesome up to 1 Mbit but my download was lagging about 4Mb when it should've been around 9Mb. Now, I had technicians come to my house on several occasions measuring, and doing some deep research on why it wasn't getting it's speed. If you're like me, and you build computers, it certainly wasn't my computer. It was tweaked to the max, browser and much more. The techs agreed on that too. After disappointing results from the techs finding absolute nothing wrong and sad they couldn't help any longer, I figured that the modem I was using was the only factor left in the equasion. I downloaded the spec sheet for the 4200 and searched through the speeds it was capable of and it stated 42Mbps downstream or something similar. I figured that head could be a culprit, and I decided to find a different model. They were around $100 then, AND DOCSIS 2.0 had already rolled out. My ISP was capable of that and actually was encouraging their customers when they could to upgrade (purchase) a new modem with the 2.0 spec. I purchased the D-Link DCM-202 cable modem. Hooked it up, had them provision it, and voila! I was downloading at 9Mbps without any problem. Now, Moto has their latest sb5200, or thier premier model SG900 (with wireless) and I'm still skeptical of this #1 modem used in the US because it overheats, can't lay it on its side, doesn't blocsync, and I truly think is capped or its just the hardware they use to build it. I spoke with someone at my ISP told me they've seen the same issues happen to their customers and if they decide to buy a new modem, I give my recommendations, but I haven't tried the other competitors as well so I can't tell you for sure if the issue can repeat, but all modems will be priced fixed around $60-70 and I'm not encouraging to buy just one brand, so...you'll have to take this advice or not. And then...there's your computer to tweak... =) It's like fine tuning a car, so the best of luck! Edited for users personal protection, per authors request :: CA3LE
  7. well, not to really worry, but HFC (coax from the nodes) are quite tempermental with the weather. Cold/Hot Especially here in the summer, expanding and contracting causes tiling, slow speeds etc.. There are improvements. Today the hi was 54* and clear. I'm from the northwest, and sometimes prefer it from the rain
  8. It's probably already known, but I test my speed at www.speedtest.net Obviously choosing Scottsdale's server for better accuracy. It's hosted by www.vividstream Here's the latest. Oh, and a little specs from the pc. CPU: Mac mini Intel Core Duo 1.66 Ram: 2GB DDR2 5200 dualchannel (maxed) OS: Windows Vista RC1 - Yes, rc1 =) Modem: D-Link DCM-202 (rev.2) <-----------more on this later and why I recommend it. =)
  9. I work in Phoenix, troubleshooting internet problems. If anyone has any questions, I'd love to help and give my input.
  10. New to this forum. Cox tier: Premier 12 Mb Dwn/1Mb Up I actually work for Cox, and have compared the speeds with others with FiOS off of the forum. Although, they may be a bit faster, My question to them is if it actually is worth paying all that money a month just for a little bit more speed. Not to mention the contract they're in. This is sufficient enough. If anyone needs some tips on how to increase their speeds, let me know.
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